When we are children and young adults, we are told stories – recounted for the most part by well meaning parents, grand parents, in-laws, friends, teachers, lovers, partners, work colleagues and society at large.

Over time, absorbing these narratives, gradually we formed a picture about ourselves – what type of occupation to pursue, whom we should marry, what we should think, how to act or react to a given situation, how things go, how to view life in general… you get the idea.

But you don’t have to be satisfied with these stories about yourself and what you are destined for – not if you don’t want to be for they are only labels based on others opinions and views. Not necessarily yours.

You don’t have to buy into them. You don’t even have to listen to the stories you tell yourself. They only serve to weaken you because you are always trying to live up to them rather than listening to what your heart is telling you.

Contrary to what many would have you believe, you are not what you have done or suffered in the past. None of us is perfect. Many of us have done things we shouldn’t have and inflicted unnecessary pain.

Vow here and now to forgive yourself and others. Move on, if that is what your gut is telling you to do. It is your irrevocable right to do so. You only get one life.

But here’s the thing. It all hinges on how badly you want to, how committed you are and how much faith you have in yourself.

It may well be the hardest thing you will have ever done – but moving on will set you free.

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My mama always told me that you have to put the past behind you before you can move on. From the movie Forest Gump.

Forest’s mother was right. The road to new beginnings leads to the future; a future prompted by clarity, fresh thinking and innovation – but first comes the willingness to cast off the past.

The wonderful thing about new beginnings is that they bring with them new opportunities and new experiences that together serve to ignite your spirit and foster positive action.

Many ‘know’ what their next move is but they still don’t do it. They hesitate, fearful of what might happen if they do it, but life isn’t only about fear. It is about faith, boldness and courage.

Sometimes in life you have to step into the unknown without knowing the outcome. Some call it blind faith. Whatever you call it, however painful the process, if you are bogged down and something is no longer working or relevant you may just have to jump in – say goodbye to the past and hello to new beginning

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think and act anew. Abraham Lincoln.

It has been almost 150 years in another time of great strife and change that those words attributed to Lincoln were uttered but they are as valid today as they were then.

The very nature of work is changing. Family and personal relationships are evolving. Emerging countries are shedding centuries old traditional political and economic bonds. Nothing seems as it was.

Struggling to deal with the Social Media phenomenon, Individuals, businesses and nations are creating new rules on the go. Privacy, as we used to measure it, is a thing of the past. Today’s news is yesterday’s, seemingly as soon as it tweeted.

This is not a time for the faint of heart. Just as we have in the past so will we get through this period. It is what humankind always does.

As we bravely, resolutely pick our away through the debris of the old, seeking the road to the new, the question each of us has to ask ourselves is this:

What can I do, what must I do to best engage and participate in this bright new future – for me, my family and friend and my business or career?

Added to that question, especially at this point in time, is another, equally important:
Am I doing my life right?

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The late American author Neil Postman in his book, Amusing Ourselves To Death, suggested that America, seduced by the mass media and entertainment industry was slowly, inexorably spending more and more time entertaining itself to death.

And he wrote that way back in the 80’s. Before the advent of social media. Prescient as be certainly appeared to be, it seems almost impossible to deny this premise today.

Still, real life isn’t as we see it portrayed in the movie, on TV and our various digital devices.

Real life is often complicated and messy. Everything doesn’t play out in a tidy hour or so and it doesn’t depend upon what happens in the next few minutes.

Making an living a real life takes time… a lifetime.

In our social media driven, 24/7 world, just keeping up is a challenge.

There is hardly a pause. We’re tweeting, texting, emailing… chattering away… like birds on a wire. Looking for what’s next and newest.

Distractionitis is spreading. If you think you have caught it, don’t worry. There is a cure. It is called focus.

Get focused again. Stay focused.

Whatever your business or your objective, at the start of everyday, ask yourself this one, all important question: Is what I’m doing right now moving me towards or away from the outcome I am looking for?

If it isn’t, stop it. And refocus on what will.

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